January 13, 2006

Tamiflu use in Turkey

Turkish officials have been stressing that relatively few people there have died, compared to Asia, where H5N1 has had about a 50-percent mortality rate. WHO said there is no evidence the virus has changed greatly and says patients have been infected by close contact with sick poultry -- in most cases children playing with birds or helping families kill them. "Compared to the numbers in Asia, we do not have too many deaths at the moment," said Dr. Guenael Rodier, head of the WHO mission to Turkey, told a news conference. "We need to investigate this and to see if the use of Tamiflu has played a role in the (smaller) numbers," he said. "I have the feeling that what is going on in Turkey can be brought under control relatively easily like in Asia," Rodier added. "At the moment, there is good awareness. We will try to keep some kind of momentum on these issues for months to come."

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Tamiflu use in Turkey

Turkish officials have been stressing that relatively few people there have died, compared to Asia, where H5N1 has had about a 50-percent mortality rate. WHO said there is no evidence the virus has changed greatly and says patients have been infected by close contact with sick poultry -- in most cases children playing with birds or helping families kill them. "Compared to the numbers in Asia, we do not have too many deaths at the moment," said Dr. Guenael Rodier, head of the WHO mission to Turkey, told a news conference. "We need to investigate this and to see if the use of Tamiflu has played a role in the (smaller) numbers," he said. "I have the feeling that what is going on in Turkey can be brought under control relatively easily like in Asia," Rodier added. "At the moment, there is good awareness. We will try to keep some kind of momentum on these issues for months to come."